in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that obey not the gospel. He shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe. We persuade men by the mercies of the Lord. We persuade them also by the glory and the terrour of the judgmentseat of Christ. Then cometh the end, when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father. For when it is said, All things are put under him, it is manifest that HE is excepted who did put all things under him. For the suffering of death, we see Jesus crowned with glory and honour. Faithful to him who appointed him, God also will be faithful to his covenant with the Redeemer, and build up his throne to all generations. All that the Father hath given me, shall come to me; and I will raise them up at the last day, and give to them eternal life. "And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the living creatures, and the elders: And the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; saying, with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I, saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and pow er, be unto him who sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, forever and ever." Does not the question before us appear to be an interesting one? Can our hearts be indifferent to a character so exalted? Were Gabriel sent from the presence of God upon an embassy to men, it would become them to treat him with great reverence. What regard then is due to him who is so much higher than the angels, by whom the worlds were made, and by whom all things consist; who, notwithstanding, tabernacled in flesh, and gave himself a sacrifice to expiate human guilt? who for the suffering of death hath all power given him in heaven and earth? They will reverence my Son, is the just expectation of HIM who sent him. Christianity was first confirmed by eye-witnesses and ministers of the word, whose ministry was sanctioned by signs and wonders, divers miracles and It gifts of the Holy Ghost. hath been confirmed by its extensive promulgation and continuance, against every kind of opposition. In the hands of the weakest instruments, endowed with power from on high, its light spread, like the orb of day, through the world. It hath collected additional evidence from age to age, as appears from the history of the church and world. It is transmitted to us, that we might believe, and, believing, might have life through the Redeemer. Does it consist with any respect to the cause of virtue, that men are offended in him? Do its mysteries warrant the rejection of it? What shall we substitute in its room, if we reject it? what rule of faith? what guide in our duty to God and man, or for the government of our appetites and passions? Those who are ready to make every objection to the gospel, which a vain imagination can suggest, or readily listen to such objections, should first answer the weighty arguments in defence of it. Among these arguments that taken from its unquestionable historical facts is entitled to first consideration. He who should undertake to dispute the authenticity of these facts, would have a much harder task than would be requisite to refute the superficial and unfounded cavils, which are reiterated in books on infidelity. Were the infidel to pronounce on the moral character and life of Jesus, he must either deny that there ever was such a person; or that he taught the doctrine, and wrought the works, and exhibited the example ascribed to him or he must say, that a deceiver might possess a character which has no part dark might fill up life with doing good might live in heaven while on earth and, in attestation to the truth, lay down a life filled with labour and sorrow. Just thoughts of Christ are intimately connected with the love of God and our neighbour, meaning by the term neighbour every man to whom we can shew mercy, without respect of nation, profession or character. Pretenders to patriotism and philanthropy cast contempt on him who gave himself a ransom for all-who proclaimed peace on earth and good will to men, in connexion with glory to God on high. The imitation of his love, which many waters could not quench, nor the floods drown, is the characteristic of his disciples. Charity is the greatest of graces, and nev er faileth: It embraces the household of faith with complacence: It does good to all as there is opportunity. Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you, and persecute you. Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus. For the Panoplist. THOUGHTS ON 1 PET. IV. 6. "For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit." Ir mankind are spiritually dead, in the sense in which some represent them, why is the gospel to be preached to them? is a question put, by way of objection to the doctrine of human deprav ity. The above passage, it is conceived, affords an answer. The reason there given is twofold. The primary and more obvious reason is mentioned last, viz. "that they might live according to God in the spirit," i. e. that by the sanctifying influence of its holy doctrines, men might be raised from a carnal, to a holy and spiritual life. Another reason for preaching the gospel to sinners, here pointed out, is, "that they might be judged according to men in the flesh." To ascertain the apostle's idea it will be necessary to notice its connexion with the foregoing verse, where he observes, that those who remain disobedient to the truth, shall be judged for their perverse principles of man justice. On this construction it is difficult to discover the contrast which the apostle evidently intends to make between being judged according to men in the flesh, and living according to God in the spirit. What contrast is there between men's being treated at the last day according to the principles observed in human judicatories, and their living according to God in the spirit? May they not be treated in that way at last, whether they live according to God in the spirit, or not? ness; and to prepare suitable evidence against them for this trial, the gospel is to be preached to them; viz. "that they might be judged according to men in the flesh," i. e. that by the medium of the gospel they might be convicted, and condemned upon the same publick evidence, on which criminals are convicted in human judicatories. God could distribute exact justice, by his perfect knowledge of the heart; but it is highly important that creatures should have a clear view of the equity of his sentence; and in order to this, their guilt must be proved by such overt acts as are sufficiently indicative of the temper of their hearts. Their rejection of the gospel will afford this evidence. They will be "judged according to men in the flesh," or upon evidence of which crea- 3. Is it reasonable to suppose tures can judge. "They will the term, dead, here means dead have no cloak for their sin." All in sin, when it is used in another will then be convinced, that, "if sense, that is, literally, just before; any man love not the Lord Jesus" who is ready to judge the Christ," he justly deserves to be living, and the dead." anathema, Maranatha." 2. The flesh in scripture use generally signifies a principle or state of moral depravity; especially when it stands in opposition to the spirit, as it does here. But according to the foregoing exposition, the flesh has no such signification. 4. In the reasoning on the passage, it is implied, that they, to whom the gospel is not preach Remarks on the foregoing Con- ed, will not be convicted and con struction. It is not doubted, that the thoughts of the ingenious author of this exposition are, in themselves, just and important. The doubts and inquiries here suggested respect the performance merely as an exposition of the passage under consideration. 1. The phrase, "that they might be judged according to men in the flesh," is supposed by our correspondent to refer to the final judgment, or the distribution of rewards and punishments at the last day according to the demned upon publick evidence. "The gospel was preached to them, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh; that is, that by the medium of the gospel they might be convicted and condemned upon the same publick evidence, on which criminals are convicted in human judicatories." But will not men, destitute of gospel light, be convicted and condemned upon like evidence? They will indeed be judged by the law of nature. But the evidence, on which they will be judged, will be as publick, aș the evidence on which others will be judged. How then can their being judged in that man ner be the particular end of preaching the gospel to them? After these remarks, it will not be deemed unsuitable to introduce some of Leighton's observations on the passage. By them that are dead, he conceives, the apostle means such as had heard and believed the gospel, and now were dead. "And this," says the pious expositor, "he doth to strengthen the brethren to whom he writes, to commend the gospel to them to this intent, that they might not think the end and condition of it hard and grievous ;-inasmuch as it was the constant end of the gospel, and they that had been saved by it went the same way he points out to them." Dr. Guise gives a similar construction of the passage. "This is the end for which the gospel was preached to those believers, who are now the dead in Christ, as well as to those who are still living upon earth, that they, by a divine power attending it, being thoroughly mortified and dead to their former sinful inclinations and courses of life, might be eventually censured and condemned, and even put to death, for their novel principles and behaviour, as being judged accor ding to the principles of corrupt nature; but that they might really live after a spiritual manner by a holy conformity to the image and will of God in their renewed souls." These queries are modestly suggested to our correspondent, who is entitled to our most respectful consideration, and to the inquisitive reader, who is left to form a conclusion for himself. EDITORS, Selections. (From Bishop Horne.) A VIEW of the different materials of which man is composed, may teach us to form a proper estimate of him. He stands between the two worlds, the natural and the spiritual, and partakes of both. His body is material, but its inhabitant descends from another system. His soul, like the world from which it comes, is immortal; but his body, like the world to which it belongs, is frail and perishable. From its birth it contains in it the seeds and principles of dissolution, toward which it tends every day and hour, by the very means that nourish and maintain it, and which no art can protract, beyond a certain term. In spite of precaution and medicine, "the evil days will come, and the years draw nigh, when he shall say, I have no pleasure in them."Pains and sorrows will succeed each other, as "the clouds return after the rain," blackening the face of heaven, and darkening the sources of light and joy. The hands, those once active and vigorous "keepers of the house," grown paralytic, shall "trem ble ;" and "the strong men," those firm and able columns, which supported it, shall "bow themselves," and sink under the weight; the external "grinders" of the food, the teeth, "shall cease, because they are few," and the work of mastication shall be imperfectly performed. Dim suffusion shall veil the organs of sight, "they that look out of the windows shall be darkened." "The doors," or valves, "shall be shut in the streets," or alleys of the body, when the digestive powers are weakened, and the sound of the "internal grinding is low." Sleep, if it light upon the eye-lids of age, will quickly remove again, and "he will rise up" at the time when the first "voice of the bird proclaims the approach of the morning. All the daughters of musick shall be brought low;" he will hear no more the voice of singing men, and singing women. Timidity and distrust will predominate, and he will be alarmed at every thing; "he shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way." As the early "almond tree," when it flourishes in full blossom, his hoary head shall be conspicuous in the congregation, the sure prognostick not of spring, alas, but of winter; he who like "the grasshopper," in the season of youth was so sprightly in his motions, now scarce able to crawl upon the earth," shall be aburden” to himself, and the organs of sense, being vitiated and impaired, "desire" and appetite "shall fail." The spinal marrow, that "silver cord," with infinite ramifications of the nerves, thence derived, will be relaxed and lose its tone; and the golden bowl," the re ceptacle of the brain, from which it proceeds, "shall be broken." The vessel by which, as a "pitcher," the blood is carried back to the heart for a fresh supply, shall be broken at the fountain, and the wheel, or instrument of circulation, which throws it forth again to the extremities of the body, shall be broken at the cistern. When this highly fin ished piece of mechanism shall be thus disjointed and dissolved, "then shall the dust," of which it was formed, "return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return to God who gave it." Learn we from hence, to bestow on each part of our composition that proportion of time and attention, which, upon a due consideration of its nature and importance, it shall appear to claim at our hands. THE SPIRIT OF THE MINIS TRY. (From Massillon.) We cannot forbear particularly and earnestly to recommend the following admirable remarks to the atten tive perusal of all who are clothed with the ministerial office. "The spirit of our ministry," says this eloquent divine, " is a spirit of zeal and firmness. It is our duty to exhort, to correct, to reprove, "in season and out of season." We ought to bear our testimony boldly against publick sins and abuses. The face of a Christian minister ought not to blush for the ig nominy, which indulgences, unbecoming his character, never fail to produce; he bears, written upon his forehead, with much |